1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a split weight bladder football and, more particularly, to a football of essentially conventional construction but with weight patches formed interiorly of the panels at locations opposed from the lacing to eliminate the off center, rotational weight of the lacing and associated components when a spiral pass is thrown.
2. Description of the Background Art
Current American footballs are constructed with a one-piece, inflatable, generally elliptically shaped, bladder which is covered by four generally oval-shaped panels seamed together along their edges. One of the seams is not stitched along a central extent thereby forming an opening to allow the bladder to be inserted to within the panels during fabrication. After insertion, the opening is closed through lacing and associated components. As a result, a football is not symmetrically weighted around its periphery due to the concentration of weight in the area of the lacing. Consequently, when a pass is thrown which spirals about its longitudinal axis, the concentration of weight at the lacing results in rotational forces which cause the ball to move in other than a straight path of travel.
Footballs do not contain anything to promote the throwing of a true spiral pass. No additional components such as a weighting system has ever been placed within the construction of the panels of a football to stop the effect of the offset weight in the lacing area so as to facilitate a true spiral pass.
Various devices are commercially used or are disclosed in the patent literature for facilitating the true spiraling of footballs or for improving the seam area of balls, including footballs. By way of example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,884,466 and 4,003,574, both to McDonald, disclose techniques for throwing a true spiral. McDonald's footballs, however, rely upon a central longitudinal passage for improving flight characteristics. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,475,027; 3,508,750 and 3,512,777, all to Henderson, disclose a game ball seam with raised areas and with inwardly directed depressions adjacent to the raised seams. Covering sections are provided on the surface of the ball between the seams. Nothing is directed to improving football spiraling. Other seaming arrangements are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,653,818 and 3,948,518 to Tibbits. But as in the Henderson patents, a multi-layer seam is placed at all seams thereby failing to counterbalance the single area of the lacing. Again, nothing is directed to improving football spiraling. In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 4,462,590 to Mitchell discloses a game ball with padding and enlarged seams, the padding adapted to increase the holdability of the ball when throwing or catching. Once again, nothing is directed to improving football spiraling. Lastly, note is taken of U.S. Pat. No. 5,098,097 to Kennedy and Baltronis, the inventors of the instant application and assigned to the assignees of the instant application. According to such patent, a simple counterweight is employed interiorly of the bladder, diametrically opposite from, and equal to the weight of the lacing components so that a non-wobbly spiral pass may be thrown. Unfortunately, such positioning of a single counterweight patch may constitute an encumbrance to the normal kicking and punting of the football in which it is provided.
As evidenced by the above-referred to patents, as well as other commercial devices, a wide variety of devices have been designed with modifications in the seam or other areas for use in improving game balls or the ability to throw a spiral pass, but not of a conventional football. No prior patent or commercial device, however, is directed to a device as disclosed and claimed herein.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an American football comprising a generally elliptical bladder, generally oval panels seamed thereover, lacing components along one seam and counterweights secured to the bladder at locations spaced from a location diametrically opposite said lacing components and equal to the weight of said lacing components.
It is a further object of the present invention to facilitate the throwing of true spiral passes with an American football.
It is a further object of the invention to place weights inside the panels of a football to counterbalance the nonsymmetrical weight caused by the lacing and associated components.
It is a further object of the present invention to counteract the effects of the weight caused by components associated with the acing region of the football.
Lastly, it is an object of the present invention to counterbalance the weight of the lacing and associated component of a football by a pair of weights positioned on the inside of the bladder laterally offset from the location diametrically opposite the lacing components.
The foregoing has outlined some of the more pertinent objects of the invention. Those objects should be construed to be merely illustrative of some of the more prominent features and applications of the intended invention. Many other beneficial results can be obtained by applying the disclosed invention in a different manner or modifying the invention within the scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, other objects and a fuller understanding of the invention may be had by referring to the summary of the invention and the detailed description of the preferred embodiment in addition to the scope of the invention defined by the claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.